Day 11: Reality

This trip to Jamaica has truly changed my perspective on the world and has truly humbled me to see all this poverty. Nevertheless, I saw smiling happy faces, and I look back on what we have, which is a lot compared to living in a hut made of scrap metal and wooden boards. We have so much luxury, and we take advantage of all of it everyday when some Jamaicans live in barely humane conditions.Every person I met had a good attitude and a smile on their face despite their situation and it really makes me feel good to see a happy face but also out of place at times almost like I felt disgusted with myself to have taken a lot of things for granted.  During my time in Jamaica I worked in the construction team and we did many things like paint and build a staircase etc. but one thing that I really touched me was when I was working on tiling with this man who's name I will not mention  and He was teaching me how to tile. As I was putting a piece tile up He came up and started talking about his life and how he " loves God" and how grateful he was for him,  after he went on about his life and how hard life is in Jamaica and what it's like to live almost dirt poor, he then told me that he was in a car accident a few years back and how he was riding with his mentor who taught him everything he knows about his profession and thanks to that man he is still able to put food on the table anyways he was in the car with him and all of sudden the car got hit, He broke his ribs and legs and have only reason he lived was because of his friend taking the brunt of the shrapnel, I won't go into detail but it was a truly sad sight to see a man tear up like this about the thought of losing a close friend.

This trip overall was an amazing to see a beautiful country and its people. To experience the raw reality of what the world really is outside our box of materialistic things. It helped us hopefully not to pity but to care for your fellow man or woman no matter their nationality. I wish more people could experience something similar and maybe their views would change. My wish before I came on the trip to Jamaica was to come back a changed person who learned to hope again for the world. My wish came true, I left Houston  an ungrateful  I came back humbled and forever changed by my experiences and what I saw in Jamaica, I will never forget this experience for as long as I live.

Day 11: What more could you ask for?

It seems quite impossible to capture Jamaica J-Term 2016 into a short blog post, simply because we did so much! Our ten days were filled with meaningful work and conversation, cultural experiences, time together, laughs and memories we will (hopefully) never forget. We had quite a few really amazing, special experiences both working with Falmouth Heritage Renewal and doing more “touristy” things.

For me, the most amazing part was that we were in a different country, doing work that will legitimately make a positive impact on someone else’s life. We were helping restore a house, documenting a house with AutoCAD to be restored later this year and making a documentary to help people back at home understand the people of Falmouth better. Our work felt so real and important because it was.

Also, I think our eyes were all opened during this trip. We were able to experience Falmouth, Jamaica, as more than just another stop on our cruise. We were able to (more or less) see what everyday life might look like for some people, talk with them, learn about the history of their town and their culture--all while gaining skills we can use in the future. All in all, what more could you ask for out of a J-Term?

Day 10: Good bye wonder world

Last Thursday was our final day of working in Jamaica.  Everyone was tying up the projects that they were involved in. It was a day of a lot of reflection, both in how we were affected by the beauty and culture of Jamaica, but also what each of us left there.

For the first half of the day we all continued on the last bits of our projects.  The construction crew were putting the finishing touches on the stairs, the autocad group was finishing up the plans they had been working on, and the film group was getting some B-roll footage to weave in between our interviews.  It was about three or four hours of work in the morning before we headed off to the beach.

The beach was a well deserved relaxation.  All of us, a little under the weather and overwhelmed with a sense of love for the place we were currently getting to experience everyday, were going to one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Now as someone who has Galveston as her go-to beach, when I say that you can see all the way down to the sand that you are standing on…  It is amazing. The water is, like the Jamaicans said, "what everyone needs at the end of a hard day.”  Walking up to the water you see this white sand go in between your toes, the waves crashing on to each other creating a painting of blue and white ripples as far as the eye can see.  We all had a good hour or two in the sun before Barbara, our cook, showed us the real meaning of Jerk chicken.

Stuffed and happy we all piled into the van for what was going to be a magical experience.  On our drive to the bioluminescent lagoon it started to pour.  Running out of the van and getting to the waiting station alone was a drastic change from what we had been seeing while we were in Jamaica. There weren’t any happy kids running around, but a lot of white tourists, which in Falmouth were hard to find outside of the port.  Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of waiting, our group was called to get on the boat.  Grinning with anticipation we were told about the history of the lagoon by one of the funniest guys.  He told us about the transportation of sugar and rum that occurred for generations and why this lagoon is a good habitat for the bioluminescent organism.

However, all I focused on was the glowing blue behind the boat as it glided through the water.  THE WATER WAS GLOWING!!!!  Now how spectacular is that?  Once the boat stopped, we were allowed to get out and swim around.  All of us jumped out into the water not knowing just what we were getting into.  As soon as your skin touches the water wherever you are starts to glow, with each movement that area will light up like the moon.  It honestly looked like you were swimming through the stars.  After a good 15 minutes of wonder we all boarded the boat again.  We all then discovered that if you touch your swimsuit it would still glow, so all of us were then amused for the smelly drive back to the house.  Lagoons with bioluminescence are by far one of the most breathtaking things in the world, but also will leave you smelling like sewage.  It was totally worth it though.  And that was the last full day we had in Jamaica.

Day 9: To the Markets!

Today, the construction and documentation crews spent the morning in the markets, unlocking our inner tourist. We spent the morning buying souvenirs, clothing, and spices, which was something I was really looking forward to doing. I also thought it was really cool to see all of the differences between the shopping venues. We went into the port and its shopping establishments, then to the local vendors outside the fenced off port, and then finally to the local market.

First, we traveled to the fourth gate of the port, where our passports were checked in order to enter into the actual port to see the ship; which took an absurd amount of time to complete. I have experiences with going on cruises and have been exposed to things of the like, and it was somewhat like what I have experienced. There were many name brand stores like Harley Davidson and Breitling. There were also many restaurant chains in the port such as Dairy Queen and Margaritaville, along with the usual touristy gifts and clothing.

Unlike what we found inside the port, there were no name brand stores or restaurants that lead you outside the port. It was just the standard tourist souvenirs and local novelties. It was also cheaper from what I had noticed, but the vending stalls were made out of tarps or inexpensive or salvaged materials, not like the permanent structures found in the port. I also thought it was particularly interesting visiting both shopping venues because what the mayor and many tourist had told us was proven correct by our experience; that the salesmen outside the fencing were overwhelming in the way they tried to lure in potential customers. This may help explain why there were not many tourists actually shopping there.

After our visit to the outer stalls, we traveled the local market. The experience inside the local market was my favorite of the three shopping stops. Smells of spices, smoked chicken, and fresh produce were in the air. With bunches of bananas still on the limbs and piles of shoes and clothing everywhere, you really felt apart of the community. It was really interesting because you could see how people spent their daily lives, from selling counterfeit Nike's and Converse, to selling the watermelon and sugarcane they may have only gathered that morning. As many of us had expected, there were very few tourists inside the local market, aside from a few couples and groups of people passing through and looking around.

It really makes you think about how different an experience as normal as shopping is so different  here in Falmouth compared to the experience in Houston.

Photos Day 8: Trash Bag Fashion Show

 At the crafts market in the port, craftsmen sell goods to people passing by.

Students in Water Square enjoy the sounds of Falmouth.

 A nice scenic street in Falmouth.

 Students visit the library for a taste of history.

 Colorful fishing boats line a fishing village in Falmouth.

Brayden and Matthew take photos of the water that surrounds the fishing village.

Jordan models in her trash bag suit in preparation for measuring the foundation of 6 King street.

Day 8: Limestone is good for your nails

Today, Daniel, Asa, and I got the opportunity to actually go out and make the materials that we work with in construction. We got to make limestone mortar that is used for brickwork, and we got to saw and shave wood.  Making limestone mortar is really labor-intensive work. To start we had to shovel limestone sand into a shifter and shift it, then that sand is put into a trough filled with limestone paste. Shifting the sand was such a workout for my core. We then had to smush and mix the two together. If I don’t get big guns by the end of this trip I’m gonna be pretty mad.

            At the wood workshop we got to cut and shave the wood planks that would be used in the house. It was really crazy because some of the pieces of wood were so long that it took me, Daniel, Asa, and Keniel to hold it to be cut. I cannot imagine how one person would do that by themselves. The last part of the wood making process was shaving the wood. The shaving machine was called the “thicknesser” and let out a lot of wood shavings and noise.

            I really think that its crazy that so much work has to be done in order to get the materials we use to build. It’s like you are constructing the construction if that makes sense. It was so much fun, even though it was really hard. I’d love to do that again.

            The second half of the day was filled with paint. We continued to paint the second floor of the house, but we had some visitors. Two kids, Renique and Trevin. Renique is a seven year old girl who loves reading, Rapunzel, and painting. She helped us paint, but she always forgot that the paint was wet, so she kept touching it. She was so cute. Trevin is the son of one of the workers and is in 7^th grade. Trevin has visited before; he really likes hanging with us. Trevin loves math and is in marching band. Logan said that next year we would bring his guitar and teach him how to play. It was really cool to meet some Jamaican youths.

Photos Day 7: Back to School

Ari, Brayden, and Iris meet the principal, Mr. Campbell, at the All Age School when our film crew visited.

Brayden helping the children of the all age school complete their worksheets, which Matthew created.

Students show off their art skills after completing their worksheets.

Brayden amazes the children with his magical light up rectangle.

The church we attended Sunday.

Street view of Jamaican buildings and students walking home.

Some evening bonding to unwind and have a good laugh.

More students plus the dog join on the fun.